NORWICH – Elynor A. (Joy) (Houghtaling) Furbush passed away Oct. 29, 2007, in East Hartford, CT, after a valiant effort to survive cancer.
The daughter of the late Harold and Alice (Sharpe) Joy, Elynor was born in Norwich, on March 5, 1931. She attended Norwich High School, graduating in 1948. A few years after her marriage to Ralph Houghtaling, who predeceased her, the family moved to Hartford, Conn.
Never one to turn down an adventure, Elynor traveled extensively throughout Europe, Canada and Mexico over the years. She enjoyed wading in the Mediterranean, driving the highways and byways of Europe, including the famous Autobahn in Germany, and traversing the roadways of the Swiss and Italian Alps. She posed for pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, got lost in Harrods of London, and visited the famous ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico to mention just a few travel destinations.
Predeceased by two brothers, Harold K. Joy Jr., formerly of Norwich, and William Joy, formerly of Los Angeles, Calif.., she is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Leonard Furbush, of East Hartford, Conn., two sisters, Esther (Joy) Drogan of Norwich, and Irene (Joy) Leake, of Wilton, Calif. She leaves behind eight children: Karen (Joy) Cohen, of Norwich; James and Susie Houghtaling, of Waynesville, Mo.; Anita (Miller) and Alp Islek of Somers, Conn.; Michael Miller Davis, of Olean; Cynthia (Houghtaling) Rose and Jeff Hensley of Charleston, S.C.; Patricia (Houghtaling) and Robert Gilbert; William and Mary Ann Houghtaling; and John and Beth Houghtaling, all of East, Hartford, Conn. She was grandmother of twenty-two grandchildren, including two grandsons, Joshua and Matthew Nadeau of Norwich and great grandmother to nine great grandchildren. A granddaughter, Elizabeth Ann Quealy, predeceased her grandmother. Several nieces, nephews and cousins, including Vaughn Cummings of Norwich, survive. She enjoyed the company of many friends but especially loved spending time and sharing memories with Genevieve Cummings, Norma Lapusznski and Betty (Fisher) Smith.
A committal service will be held at Mount Hope Cemetery in Norwich on Saturday at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the UConn Cancer Fund, The University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc., 10 Talcott Notch Rd. Suite 100 Farmington, CT 06042.
A guest book for condolences or messages to the family is available online at: http://www.legacy.com/HartfordCourant/DeathNotices.asp.